Dum Maaro Dum! Kudla becoming Haven for Ganja Addicted Youth

Mangaluru: Got Weed! “That’s some good ganja, Man. Only needed two hits and I was gone” that’s one of the conversation I heard between two youths at a local pub few days ago. Every time you see couple of youth heading towards the rest-room, they are not really going for a recess, but to have a quick drag on ganja – and it’s true, because once they come out of the toilet, the place stinks of weed. Yes, Mangaluru and DK has been making headlines lately with news of drug trafficking and also teens/young adults/women getting addicted to alcohol and substance abuse, and some resulting in committing suicides due to depression or deaths due to over dose. It is learnt that teenagers, women are getting hooked to alcohol and substance abuse in Mangaluru and Manipal/Udupi-the education hubs of Dakshina Kannada, and doctors attribute it to easy availability of dope, peer pressure, or depression.

It is learnt that the city has recorded a marked increase in incidents of ganja peddling, bringing to fore a disturbing trend that indicates a spike in the youth falling prey to the drug. Police say every time they crack down on ganja peddlers new gangs surface which smuggle the contraband primarily from neighbouring states, especially Goa. The data suggested that abuse of ganja has been on the rise in city particularly among the youths. Ganja peddlers target college students as buyers as well as their agents also.

While most of the peddlers are habitual offenders with criminal records, some of them are first time offenders who were drawn into the illegal trade as customers. “First they approach the gangs to buy ganja for their own use. The gangs lure them with promise of good money and make them sell ganja gradually. This happens with college students who after a point of time start selling ganja to fellow students,” said a police officer. Although police have also tightened their vigil in the wake of detection of ganja cultivation in the city outskirts, but many say that even the some of the cops also play a vital role by associating with the peddlers.

Although there had been couple of meetings between De-addiction and Counseling Centres with the district administrative officials to discuss the increase of youngsters falling to narcotic and psychotropic drugs, but drug addiction among the youth is still continuing. During one of the meeting held few months ago, Lidia Lobo of Link De-addiction and Counselling Centre had said, “Youth aged between 16 and 18 were getting addicted to drugs which is a matter of concern and de-addiction is extremely rigid”. Hilda Rayappan from Prajna Counselling Centre mentioned that they have so far treated 18,290 persons in the last 24 years at their three de-addiction centres in city. “This has been really effective; however it is difficult in running these three centres as there are no regular grants from the State government”, she added.

It was reported that increasing number of teenagers/young adults in Mangaluru are getting hooked to drugs/alcohol, and doctors are worried about the situation. “We are seeing double the number of patients as against 5 years ago. I see 40 patients in a week of which 10 are in their teens. Of these, 5 are cases of substance abuse, ranging from smoking to multiple abuses including consuming cannabis, inhaling glue,solvents, smoking weed, and consuming over the limit cough syrups. Of these, 20% are girls, who visit me with depression, have slashed their wrists or have suffered breakups. The reason is “a new-found sense of freedom”, to show their rebellious nature or that they are on par with the males or because some of them are secure or want to attract attention. Many of the teens that I treat are locals-some students, some work part time”-had said one professor at Department of Psychiatry, KMC, Mangaluru.

“Everyday, Fr Muller Hospital admits six to ten patients, on an average, who have alcohol dependent syndrome or alcohol-related psychiatric problems or drug addiction. And this is all year long. Women, majority of them have secondary alcoholism, driven to it due to other underlying psychiatric illnesses such as depression and anxiety” had said HOD of Psychiatry, Fr Muller Medical College, Mangaluru. There is no problem with availability of ganja in rural areas, and possibly as it is a matter of demand and supply. It is not as if drugs are being sold brazenly in broad daylight. Even if the police raid one shop and close it down for illegal sale of smoke stuff, those who want it will find some other way to get it.

Ganja is inexpensive and can be bought for Rs 50 a gram as against more expensive drugs like brown sugar, costing nearly Rs 1500-Rs 4000 a gram. Social changes make it difficult to deal with such issues. Earlier, children feared parents, teachers and elders-nowadays parents work and there is spare money that a child has access to. In dealing and to curb with substance abuse, society has to play a big role-because it is very hard for the police to control the drug menace on its own.

Yes, it’s sad to note that the substance abuse among teenagers/young adults is growing in Mangaluru, with smoking, trying out ganja…injecting or inhaling drugs etc etc-most of these are available illegally at shops selling cigarettes, paan shops, hostels or through agents. Users form a well-knit network and no names are mentioned as they are scared of implications. The other problem is that the parents are unaware that their children are addicted to substance abuse as they use a lot of masking behaviour. Also that they will not be home on time or they go out of town on trips with friends.

With most of the students in various professional colleges like medical, engineering, dental and other post-graduate studies are from other towns and states, there are free without parents guidance or care. Also with so many call centers popping up in the city, and since many of them operate business at night, there is ample opportunity for all these call center employees, who are quite young, to skip work and party at pubs, beaches or at private places. Only when they get into trouble or get totally sick, their parents will be in shock and denial. Some of them are very poor and very naive.

According to the police, the city’s status as a drug consumption centre is high because of the easy availability of ganja. “However, there is a less demand for drugs like cocaine, heroin and opium as they are costly and are made available only in case of specific demand. Ganja is commonly used by slum dwellers, smokers, drug addicts and youngsters because of their easy availability. The youth are mostly attracted to ganja and charas. Youth smoke ganja mixed in cigarettes. Women consume less as compared to men. Most students engage in ganja and cocaine.”

Recently the excise officials from the city inspected a train arriving from Kerala at the Kankanady junction station and detected ganja worth Rs 6 lakh- Ateem (28) was arrested by the Konaje police in Nettilapadavu of Kairangala village. Few days ago, excise dept officials seized 450 gms of marijuana worth Rs 1.75 lakhs from a auto-rickshaw near Ashoknagar-the auto driver managed to flee. On 6 Feb, 2016, Excise department arrested three persons trading ganja and seized ganja worth Rs 50,000 from their possession from Jalligudda-the arrested have been identified as Avinash a resident of Padil, Naufal and Venkateshfrom Jalligudda.Already this year, the excise dept and police have seized around 2.5 kg ganja and have arrested several persons involved in drug peddling. So its clear that Ganja is been smuggled into this educational town, and not much has been done by the law enforcement officials. Many say that if police themselves are corrupt and are associated with these ganja peddlers, how can this problem be solved- a big question mark?

Yes, citizens and members of various community organizations can play an important role in stopping alcohol and substance abuse among teenagers and young adults-if you see anyone dealing with drugs/shops selling illegal smoking items or if you see someone whom you are sure is doing drugs, immediately inform the police or the concerned authorities. Anyone with information pertaining to drug trafficking or drug dealers immediately notify the law enforcement personal by dialing 100 or 9480802305, so that the concerned authorities can take quick action and grab the drug mafias.We the citizens can join hands along with the law enforcement authorities in controlling the drug menace in the city, and thereby save some innocent lives from this deadly “disease”?

9 Comments

Good Article . Parent be careful. Your son or Daughter may be using the above Drug. Always keep a eye on your child. Are they using long time in Bath/rest rooms, are they locking their rooms and studying, then sure they are in Drugs. College and school authorities should take more initiative to curb this habit. I heard from one of Engg. college students that 80 % students are addicted to Drug or Alcohol.

Excellent, informative and motivating article by the author–addiction to drugs and alcohol is surely on the rise in big cities where many educational institutions sprung up- and Mangalore is one of them. Until the police are non-corrupt this problem will continue no matter what?

More awareness programmes and constant vigil by parents on their children will control the rise of these addictions.

It’s sad that the present youth are hooked on to drugs and alcohol-they don’t know the consequences of these addictions. District officials and parents of these youth should play an important role in curbing down the over growing drug addiction among youth in Mangalore,DK and Udupi areas.

Through this article let’s hope for the best and change in the bad habits of the present generation. Thank you Mangalorean.com for a very inspiring and motivating report.

“The Vedas… describe how cannabis was created when the Gods stirred the heavenly oceans with the peak of Mount Mandara. A drop of amrita (heavenly nectar) fell from the sky and a sacred cannabis plant sprouted on the spot. Lord Siva brought the cannabis plant down from Mount Mandara for the pleasure of Mankind and for this the plant was consecrated to him [Siva].” –

Recreational drugs should be made legal. It’s quite common to see people brag about their taste and appreciation towards various alcoholic drinks. In fact, it has become fashionable to consume alcohol these days. No office party or celebrations are complete without these drinks. Why are we complaining about weed? Do you know which one is more dangerous – Alcohol or Pot ?

Come on, folks – We can’t brag about our ‘pub culture’ and complain about another less dangerous drug!!! Time to grow up and see the reality. I’m all for educating the dangers of addiction. But, this double standards when it comes to pot is quite honestly silly at best.

Dear readers,
The population of India has reached over 1 billion people and is rising. The country is growing at an incredible pace. Its culture, social values, demographics and economy is rapidly changing, and these stresses are having an impact on the people. Some evidence suggests that there is an increasing use of illicit drugs and reported numbers point to over 3 million drug addicts in India. However, the World Health Organization does note that there is significant difficulty in estimating drug usage and addiction rates in the country due to poor bureaucratic processes and census reporting.

Cannabis is an incredibly popular and widely used drug in India and is known as ganga, charas or bhang. India has a long history of cannabis use, and the drug is one of the five sacred plants mentioned in the Hindu texts, the Vedas. It is typically associated with the Hindu deity Shiva, who is believed to like the hemp plant. The drug is often smoked or drunk in a beverage at Hindu ceremonies.

HIV is a significant issue for drug addicts in India with over 2.4 million people infected. This places India as the third-highest country in terms of rate of infection in the world. Injecting drug users making up nearly 10 percent of the affected groups.

Evidence suggests that there is an increasing trend of Indian people using brown sugar heroin across all groups in society, from children as young as 13. It is not just a drug for the wealthy and elite.Accurate heroin addiction rates in India are unknown. However, there are over 1 million registered addicts, with estimates suggesting that the actual number may be as high as 5 million.

Unlike in EU,there are no government approved rehabilitation centers.Today youths are become easy trap.Modi Government has already Cut the Budget Of Crucial Sectors like Social Pensions, Education, Health And More.The government has ordered a cut of nearly 20 percent in its 2014/15 healthcare budget due to fiscal strains, putting at risk key disease control initiatives in a country whose public spending on health is already among the lowest in the world.

Despite rapid economic growth over the past two decades, successive governments have kept a tight rein on healthcare expenditure. India spends about 1 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on public health, compared to 3 percent in China and 8.3 percent in the United States.

In apparent to the trimming the health sector drastically,the Finance Ministry of Modi government withdrawn customs duty exemption goes, 76 life-saving drugs to get costlier.

For the Punjab government ruled by Shiromani Akali Dal a BJP alliance,the problem is hardly unknown.Three years ago, a state health official warned in a court affidavit that Punjab risked losing a whole generation to drugs. Roughly 60 percent of all illicit drugs confiscated in India are seized in Punjab.Once the basket of Indian State Finds Itself in Tight Grip of Addiction.

On June 29, the Rajasthan Police arrested two senior leaders of the SAD-BJP alliance with 7.5 kg poppy husk at Pallu sub-tehsil in Hanumangarh district. The erring leaders were identified as Asafwala (Fazilka) block samiti member Vijay Kumar Kamboj (alias Daddi) and SAD block president (rural) Mahal Singh Rana. Both of them were booked under the NDPS Act. Their supporters Lekhram, Balbir Singh and Ved Parkash, all from Fazlika—the constituency represented by State Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jayani—were also booked.

Punjab, for many years, has been a transit point for drugs from Afghanistan. The drug money has become a major source of funding of elections in Punjab and over the time a well organized drug cartel has came into existence with active connivance of politicians, police officers and drug lords. This drug money is used in financing militancy. To check militancy we will also have to control the drug problem.

In one hand health sector become dearer to poor in India.While $10 billion worth Yoga is promoted hard,the majority of Indian’s have to take permanent ‘Savasana’ forever with some more puff of ‘Dum maro dum’.